Ryn rubbed his wrists raw from chiseling all morning. By now, the square looked stable enough that no one would collapse into it, but he felt like his own bones might give way before the day was over.
Kael appeared out of nowhere, leaning casually against a broken lamp post.
"You're still here?" Kael asked. His voice had that sharp edge, the one that could be teasing but wasn't.
"I didn't finish," Ryn muttered. "I said I'd take responsibility."
Kael's smirk softened, just a little. "I know. I'm impressed."
Ryn gritted his teeth. "Don't be."
Inside the Guild, Master Elara stood waiting, arms crossed, eyes scanning both boys.
"Today's lesson," she said, voice cutting like a blade, "is not about mistakes. It's about collaboration."
Ryn blinked. Collaboration.
Kael's eyebrow rose. "You mean, like… working together?"
"Yes," Elara replied. "Two minds can often control what one cannot. But beware: maps are not obedient. They are aware. They are… temperamental."
Ryn's stomach twisted. Tem-per-a-mental. It sounded like a warning, not guidance.
They were assigned a map of Bramblewick itself. The task was simple, at least in theory: stabilize unstable zones and prevent anomalies from forming again.
Ryn stared at the parchment floating between them. Lines shimmered and writhed, shifting as if alive.
"I don't even know where to start," Ryn muttered.
Kael shrugged. "I usually start by punching the problem in the face."
Ryn stared. "What?"
Kael rolled his eyes. "Metaphor. Mostly."
The map pulsed suddenly, reacting to Kael's impatience.
Ryn yelped as a line of ink snapped toward him, and he stumbled back, quill flying.
Kael snorted, eyes wide, then leaned forward to help him steady the parchment. "See? Temperamental. Told you."
Ryn grabbed the quill again, hands trembling. "I can do this. I just… need to focus."
Kael tilted his head. "Good. Focus. Just don't panic."
Ryn huffed. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who nearly destroyed half the square."
Kael's smirk faded for a moment. "Yeah… I've seen worse, trust me. But you? You're… different."
Ryn froze. Different?
Kael's gaze didn't waver. "You listen to it. Most people just draw and hope. You… hear it."
Ryn's cheeks heated. He didn't know whether to feel proud or terrified.
The map shivered violently. A new anomaly began to take form, sprouting jagged streets where there shouldn't have been any.
"Now what?" Ryn whispered.
Kael didn't answer. He reached for the quill.
"Wait!" Ryn grabbed his arm. "We have to, "
"Don't think. Draw." Kael said sharply.
They moved together, hands shaking, hearts hammering, quills flying. Lines formed, intertwined, boundaries set, not perfectly, but enough.
The anomaly twisted, hesitated, then folded in on itself.
Ryn stumbled back, panting. "We… we did it."
Kael looked at him. "Yeah. You… you actually listened."
Ryn laughed weakly, almost in disbelief. "We both did."
Kael's smirk returned, softer this time. "Yeah. But don't think this makes you my equal. Not yet."
Ryn narrowed his eyes. "Equal? I wasn't trying to be equal. I was trying to survive."
Kael chuckled. "Fair enough."
Later, when they were alone, Ryn stared at the map, still pulsing faintly.
"You know," he said quietly, "I think it's… almost like it trusts us."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Maps don't trust anyone."
"Maybe not," Ryn admitted. "But maybe… it listens to people who care enough not to mess up."
Kael didn't answer, but he didn't disagree either.
For the first time, Ryn felt a flicker of something he hadn't allowed himself, hope.